


True Friends

by Duffydog



Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: Episode: s07e04 Repression, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-09
Updated: 2020-02-09
Packaged: 2021-02-27 22:07:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,518
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22623040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Duffydog/pseuds/Duffydog
Summary: Set after “Repression”.
Relationships: Chakotay/Kathryn Janeway
Comments: 2
Kudos: 21





	True Friends

**Author's Note:**

> Notes: Set after “Repression”, this story owes its inspiration to Andrea Lehrer’s wonderful video “My One True Friend” which won first place in the music video competition at the Women of Voyager convention in Cleveland in May, 2001. Andrea, this one’s for you. J/C  
> The song “My One True Friend” by Bette Midler is used without permission.

A week had passed since Captain Janeway had regained control of her ship, a week of awkward silences and uncomfortable interaction among the crew. Most had not yet rediscovered the sense of unity that had developed over the six years they’d fought their way across the Delta Quadrant.

Under Teero’s influence, discord and conflict had raged throughout the ship, as old battle lines and divisions reappeared, and the crew split into ‘we’ and ‘them’. Only those few belonging to the Delta Quadrant had been spared and they had been very careful to stay out of what had almost become a disaster. 

Neelix still didn’t know what he would have done if the Maquis had been successful in marooning the Starfleet crew on some lonely planet. On one hand, his loyalty to the captain would have kept him by her side, but on the other, his presence on the ship might have been instrumental in recapturing it for her and her people. He was very thankful he hadn’t been forced into a decision. 

Now, as everyone attempted to find their old places again and put past history back where it belonged – in the past, Neelix tried to think of something he could do to help mend the new rifts among his crewmates. Because rifts there were, he was in no doubt of that. Some, like the one between B’Elanna and Tom, had healed very quickly. Others, like the one between the captain and the commander, were deep and getting deeper, if their behaviour this morning was any indication.

He sighed as he remembered how the captain had suddenly clammed up and turned away as soon as Chakotay had walked through the door of the mess hall. She had been looking and sounding quite cheerful until that moment, but then her mouth had tightened into a thin, hard line and without another word, she’d grabbed her tray and retreated to a table in the corner, her posture rigid with anger.

The commander’s sad eyes had followed her before coming back to Neelix. His mouth had quirked slightly as if trying to smile, before he’d taken his tray and gone to the other side of the room, head down and shoulders slumped. Neelix had noticed that he’d hardly touched his food before getting up and leaving a short time later. 

It had nearly broken his heart.

He had been debating ever since whether to speak to Captain Janeway, but he had a feeling she wouldn’t appreciate his comments. At the moment, a lot of the crew were, as Tom said, ‘walking on eggshells’ around her. Neelix could appreciate the apt description.

Still, there must be something he could do. The thought of Tom made him wonder if their resourceful helmsman might have any ideas. He tapped his combadge.

“Neelix to Lieutenant Paris.”

“Paris here.”

“I wonder if I could have a word with you after your shift, Tom. It’s a matter of some urgency.”

“Uh, yeah, sure, Neelix. As soon as I’m off-duty.” Paris’ voice was clearly puzzled.

“Thanks. Neelix out.”

Feeling a faint ray of hope, he went back to chopping up vegetables for the evening meal with renewed vigor. Surely, between them, they’d be able to think of something.

* * *

As had become her habit lately, Kathryn Janeway retreated to her ready room shortly after the start of Alpha shift. She found she could only stand the sight of her first officer for so long before anger rose to the point where she could barely hold back her fury. Knowing that she must at least look in control, even if she didn’t feel it, she handed over the bridge to him and left while she still had some rein on her temper.

Chakotay had hurt her badly, far more than she would have believed possible. They had been through so much, undergone the most horrendous trials and yet, through it all, they had stuck together. Oh, they had started to come unglued occasionally – the Borg alliance and the Equinox disaster were two instances – but never would she have believed that he could actually betray her. 

On an intellectual level, Kathryn knew that he hadn’t been in control of his actions – Tuvok hadn’t been either – but in her gut, she believed that Chakotay should have been able to resist Teero’s efforts. If nothing else, his feelings for her should have been enough to hold at bay subliminal messages or anything else. He had promised to stay by her side, easing her burden; instead he’d broken his word.

She knew she wasn’t being rational or fair, but right now, she was still so damned mad that she wasn’t prepared to make allowances. He should have been able to resist! And he hadn’t. And she had nearly lost her ship as a result. Damn him anyway for making her feel this way! For destroying her trust in him.

She ground her teeth in rage. Her hands clenched into fists before she made a conscious effort to calm her emotions. It was over. Somehow, she had to find a way to let go.

Taking several deep breaths, she rose to retrieve another cup of coffee before starting to read the day’s reports.

* * *

Chakotay sat in his accustomed place on the bridge, trying to keep his mind occupied and off the ready room and its occupant. He had only set foot there once, briefly, since Tuvok had melded with him, bringing him back to the present and a realization of what he’d done.

He understood Kathryn’s feelings perfectly well and sympathized with them. However, he had hoped that maybe by now, she might have found it in herself to forgive him – just a little – but apparently, it was not to be. She couldn’t even bring herself to look at him and had exchanged no more than the absolute minimum of words necessary for operation of the ship. In fact, yesterday and again this morning, he’d noticed she had actually spoken to Tuvok rather than him. He had been allowed to overhear her orders but not receive them directly.

Swallowing the lump in his throat, he wondered what he could do to earn her forgiveness. Life without Kathryn’s smile was a dismal prospect, and as well, the rupture in their professional relationship was having repercussions throughout the ship. 

Somehow, they had to get past this.

* * *

Late that afternoon, Tom Paris headed down to the mess hall. He found Neelix ensconced in the galley, which was wreathed in steam from several pots bubbling merrily. 

“Neelix!” called out Tom. “Where are you?”

“Back here, Tom. Thanks for coming. I wanted to discuss a problem with you, and see if you might have any ideas on how to solve it.”

Tom almost groaned. “Let me guess. The captain and the commander.”

“Yes!” answered Neelix in surprise. “How did you figure that out?”

“It wasn’t hard. It’s the main topic of conversation. And it’s not just them. A lot of people are still on edge; I haven’t felt so much uneasiness since our first days in the Delta Quadrant and actually – not even then, now that I think about it. If the captain and Chakotay could show that they’ve patched up their differences, it would go a long way towards pulling the crew together, but it doesn’t look like it’s going to happen anytime soon.”

Neelix’ face fell. “I know. Only this morning, the captain was talking to me quite cheerfully until Commander Chakotay walked in – and then she just closed down. Took her breakfast and stalked off without another word. Tom, we have to do something!”

“I agree, but what?”

“I was hoping you might have an idea or two, you’re always so resourceful.”

“Offhand – no, but maybe together, we could come up with something. Let’s see…”

The two put their heads together, ideas flying back and forth like tennis balls, before Tom suddenly jumped up and shouted “That’s it!”

“What?!” demanded Neelix. “Tell me!”

“What you said just now, about being such close friends, made me think. What if we arranged an impromptu party, right here, a dance maybe, and made sure every song was about friendship? There must be lots in the database. What do you think?”

“It’s the best idea I’ve heard yet. Let’s have a look and see what there is.”

The two set to work, quickly scrolling through the titles – there were certainly plenty of them – before marking several worthy of further consideration. Neelix instructed the computer to play the ones earmarked, and he and Tom listened carefully, rating each selection. There were some good ones, but neither felt as if they’d discovered exactly what they wanted.

“Computer,” instructed Tom. “Search in the late twentieth century, using the keywords ‘friend’, ‘friends’ and ‘friendship’. Let’s see what we can find there.”

A long list filled the screen. Two pairs of eyes scanned down quickly.

“There are so many,” complained Neelix. “If we play every one shown here, we’ll be back in the Alpha Quadrant before we finish.”

“Let’s go a little farther. Here! This sounds hopeful – ‘My One True Friend’ by Bette Midler.” He marked the line. “Computer, play selection.”

As they listened carefully to the words about what a true friend was despite all the twists and turns of life, both began to smile. It was exactly what they needed. By the time the song was over, they were sporting huge grins.

Tom clapped Neelix on the back. “It’s perfect, just the thing! Now all we have to do is get them both in here to listen to it.”

“Okay. Now here’s what I think we might try…”

They huddled together, plotting their scenario carefully. This had to work – the well being of the whole ship was riding on it.

* * *

The plot began to unfold the next evening.

B’Elanna had been enlisted to make sure that Chakotay not only came to the mess hall for dinner, but stayed afterwards. It would be up to her to keep him occupied until Neelix could initiate stage two.

With Chakotay taken care of, Tom had turned his attention to making a similar arrangement for the captain. She would be harder to deal with, as she showed no inclination to stay in any room where Chakotay was present, for any longer than she had to. In the end, Tom decided to bring Tuvok into their scheme. 

Crossing his fingers, he requested to speak privately with the Vulcan. He was taking a chance, he knew, but was hoping that the logic of reestablishing harmony between the command team would outweigh Tuvok’s probable reluctance to interfere in their personal lives. 

However, to his surprise, he found that Tuvok was quick to approve, not only for the reason which Tom carefully outlined, but also, as he put it, ‘to restore the well being of my friend’. 

Tom had smiled warmly. “Thank you, Tuvok. I’m glad you understand. Now, here’s what I want you to do…”

* * *

At about 1800 hours, B’Elanna pressed the chime of Chakotay’s quarters. When the door opened, she found him sitting in almost complete darkness, the only light coming from the stars flashing past the viewport at warp speed.

“Chakotay?” she called out hesitantly from the open doorway. “Are you in here?”

“Yes, B’Elanna,” came his tired voice softly. “What do you need?”

“I don’t _need_ anything. I was wondering if you’d like to join me for dinner in the mess hall. Tom’s tied up in sickbay and I’m starving. I was hoping you’d come and keep me company.”

As she stepped a little further into the room, she heard him sigh. “I don’t know, B’Ela. I’m really tired. All I want to do is sit.”

B’Elanna’s eyes had adjusted to the dim light and she could see him now, sitting in an armchair, silhouetted against the viewport. She moved over to stand in front of him.

“What’s wrong, Chakotay? This isn’t like you.”

“I…guess I’m finding it hard to get back to the routine. I…don’t know really.”

Never one to skirt an issue, B’Elanna took the bull by the horns. “You mean you’re upset because the captain won’t have anything to do with you.”

He sighed again. “Yes, among other things.”

“What other things?”

“I don’t think I can talk about it right now. There were things that happened, things you don’t know about. It’s not only that she can’t forgive me, I can’t forgive myself.”

Now B’Elanna was genuinely worried. “Chakotay! What did you do? You sound as though you tried to kill her.”

“I did,” came his voice very softly.

She was shocked into silence, unable to believe what he was saying. Even under someone else’s control, she couldn’t imagine that he would ever try to harm Kathryn Janeway. It was inconceivable.

However, when she said as much, he merely replied, “Believe it.”

Crouching down by his chair, she took his hands. “Chakotay! Surely, she must realize that it wasn’t you. She knows you’d never hurt her.”

“That’s what I hoped but apparently, judging by her behaviour the past few days, I’m wrong. I don’t know what to do, B’Elanna, I don’t know how to convince her that I’m sorry. I…she won’t speak to me, won’t let me near her. I guess I can’t blame her really.”

He sounded so sad and defeated that B’Elanna nearly burst into tears. She gripped his hands tightly. “I don’t know exactly how to advise you, Chakotay, but I do know that sitting here in the dark won’t help matters. Come with me now, let’s get something to eat. Maybe some food will help. And you know, you need to get out, be with other people, not sit here alone. Please come.”

Her tone was so earnest that he couldn’t refuse. B’Elanna rarely asked him for anything, so when she did, he knew the request was important to her. Nodding his head, he rose to his feet, pulling her up with him. “I guess you’re right.”

Hugging him briefly, she took his hand. “Thanks. I think it’ll help you to feel better, too.”

They left his quarters and strolled down the corridor to the turbolift, as she began to tell him about the latest crisis in engineering. 

The first part of stage one was underway.

* * *

The next part of the plan took place in the ready room, where Commander Tuvok was presently trying to persuade the captain to join him for a meal in the mess hall. At first glance, he didn’t seem to be having much success, but Tuvok could be very persistent in his quiet way and was not one to give up easily.

Janeway sat in her chair, trying to think of a really good reason why she should eat in her quarters. _I don’t want to_ didn’t sound very worthy of a starship captain, but her mind had drawn a blank and right now, she couldn’t come up with anything better. With a deep sigh, she turned to face him. “You’re not going to give up, are you?” she muttered.

“Captain, as I have already explained,” stated Tuvok in his best lecturing voice, “you have cut yourself off from the crew for too long. These are trying times. Right now, they need to see you, to be reassured that things are back to normal. Hiding yourself away in here or in your quarters only arouses their suspicions, making them think that things are _not_ normal.”

“Let Chakotay deal with them. After all, he caused most of the problem in the first place.” Even to her ears, her tone sounded petulant.

“Captain, that is an illogical statement and you know it. The commander was most certainly not responsible for the ‘problem’, as you put it. If you wish to assign culpability, then you should blame me for what happened. Commander Chakotay was just as much a victim as you.”

Kathryn sighed again. She wasn’t going to win the argument, she realized, and in all fairness, Tuvok was right. Her crew did need to see her. She just didn’t feel up to facing Chakotay right now if he should happen to be in the mess hall.

Sensing that he was close to convincing her, Tuvok moved in for the kill. “In all the years I’ve known you, Captain, you have never lacked courage.”

Her eyes snapped up to stare at him in shock. “What are you talking about?”

“Isn’t the real reason you don’t wish to eat in the mess hall because Commander Chakotay might be there?”

She scowled, but didn’t deny it. 

Momentarily, her eyes focused on her desk before she abruptly got to her feet. “All right, Tuvok, you win. Let’s go get dinner.”

“Thank you, Captain.”

In a rare show of camaraderie, he offered his arm to take as they exited the ready room onto the bridge. Lieutenant Rollins, on gamma shift, was already on duty at tactical.

Janeway nodded at him as they headed for the turbolift. “Mr. Rollins, you have the bridge.”

“Aye, Captain.”

Stage one was complete. On to stage two.

* * *

Tom, holed up in sickbay in order to preserve the fiction that he had been detained by the doctor, had opened a commlink to Neelix, who was maintaining a running commentary as events unfolded in the mess hall.

“…the doors have just opened and – it’s the Delaneys.” His voice mirrored Tom’s disappointment. He had no way of knowing if B’Elanna or Tuvok had been successful until they actually showed up. Beside him, the doctor pretended to be busy tending his latest experiment, but Tom knew he was listening just as closely.

Neelix spoke again. “Someone’s just come in, but I can’t see who…” 

There was silence for a moment, then his voice, intense with excitement. “It’s B’Elanna! And she has Chakotay with – . Commander, Lieutenant, how nice to see you this evening. Now our special is a favourite – pleeka rind casserole. An oldie, but a goodie, as Mr. Paris would say. Here, let me put some on your plates. And the vegetable is an interesting sort of squash that I found at our last stop. It’s rather bland on its own, but add a few of my special spices and I think it’s quite tasty.”

Neelix chattered on as Tom muffled a groan – he hated pleeka rind casserole which, in his opinion, the crew saw far too often. However, the good news far outweighed the bad. He grinned at the doctor, who had abandoned all pretense of ignoring the voice coming through the combadge and was listening avidly.

“Tom, they’ve settled down now across the room. The door’s opening…yes! It’s Commander Tuvok and the captain. We’re in business.”

Tom was so pleased he high-fived the doctor who stared at his hand in astonishment as the pilot started out the door. On impulse, he decided to come, too.

“Mr. Paris! Wait for me!”

Tom turned back, horrified. “No, Doc! You can’t! If the captain sees you there, she’ll know something’s up. Tell you what. As soon as we get started, I’ll page you and you can come then, okay?”

Disappointed, the doctor stopped, although he understood. The captain had a sixth sense where the crew’s plotting was concerned. If they were to succeed, everything must appear to be absolutely normal, and as the doctor didn’t eat, there was no good reason for him to be in the mess hall.

“All right. But don’t forget, will you? I want to be there, too,” he shouted after Tom as the latter headed for the corridor.

“Don’t worry, Doc. I’ll remember,” came floating through the door as it closed.

Anxious to get to the mess hall, Tom practically ran to the turbolift,. It seemed to take forever, but eventually, he was on deck two and trotting down the corridor. He realized suddenly that he was somewhat out of breath and made himself slow down and take several deep breaths to calm his racing heart. 

When he had steadied his breathing, he strode into the mess hall and looked around. In one corner, he could see Chakotay and B’Elanna but where were the captain and Tuvok? His face fell as he contemplated the awful possibility that she had left as soon as she saw her first officer. No, there she was, half hidden by Tuvok’s larger form.

He heaved a sigh of relief and stepped up to the counter where Neelix was just putting out another plate and leaned over to whisper, “Everything okay so far?”

“As near as I can tell,” murmured Neelix. “In fact, I’m not sure if the commander even realizes that the captain’s here. If he does, he’s given no sign of it.”

Turning his head casually, Tom looked around as if to see where he might sit. “I’ll go sit with him and B’Elanna, but where I can keep an eye on the captain. If she shows any sign of leaving, and Tuvok can’t make her stay, it’s up to you to keep her here.”

“Me! But what’ll I say?”

“I don’t know, make something up. Improvise! You’re good at that!”

Neelix didn’t look very convinced, but hastened on to the next part of the plan. “When do you think we should start the party?”

“Let me eat first. We’re going to have to play it by ear, to some extent, anyway. It has to look spontaneous, you know, even if it isn’t.”

“All right. You just give me a signal when you think it’s a good time and I’ll announce that I want to make a toast to our gallant crew. Hopefully, it will all fall into place from there.”

“Sounds good.” 

Tom picked up his plate and ambled between the tables towards B’Elanna who could see him coming. She moved over to make room as he arrived at the table.

“Hi sweetheart, Chakotay. Sorry to be so long – I thought the doc would never let me out of there. I’m glad you found some company.”

B’Elanna gave him a quick kiss and explained their discussion. “We’ve been reminiscing.”

Chakotay smiled warmly and started to rise. “Thanks, B’Elanna, I’m glad you made me come.”

Tom’s voice rose in alarm. “Where are you going? Are you in a rush to get somewhere? Hot date, maybe?” His voice took on that teasing, slightly sarcastic note that always rubbed Chakotay the wrong way.

He stood looking down. “No. I thought you would prefer to talk to your wife alone.”

B’Elanna kicked her husband forcefully under the table as she smiled up at her old friend. “Please, don’t go. I can talk to him anytime. You, I don’t see often enough anymore. Please stay.”

Chakotay remained standing, clearly undecided. 

Looking up, Tom added, “Yeah, sit down, old man. Don’t let me interrupt your conversation. If you want privacy, I’ll even go eat with…uh…”

The commander resumed his seat, smiling. “No, don’t do that. B’Elanna wouldn’t forgive me for chasing you away.”

Tom was all smiles as he bolted down his dinner. “Great. So, what were you reminiscing about?”

B’Elanna cut in before Tom could put his foot in it again. “Mostly the old days in the Alpha Quadrant. Talking about old friends, wondering who survived, that sort of thing.”

“Sounds depressing to me. How about talking about your friends in the Delta Quadrant instead?”

Chakotay’s face twisted slightly, and Tom knew he’d hit a nerve. But he ignored it and looked up innocently.

“You know,” he went on, glancing around the room, “it’s great to see so many folks here. Makes me think that maybe lots of the crew want to be with their friends tonight. After everything that happened, I’m glad to find that people have been able to put it behind them. Don’t you think so?”

B’Elanna tried not to glare at him – he was really pushing it and she could see Chakotay tensing. She kicked Tom again in a silent warning to shut up. Meanwhile, the commander had looked around and, apparently for the first time, noticed the captain. His face closed down and he got up again. “I’d better go.”

Tom opened his mouth to protest but B’Elanna beat him to it, rising as well. “Chakotay, wait. If you leave now, it’ll be pretty obvious why. I don’t think the crew needs to see that, do they? Just sit here with us.”

“B’Ela, she doesn’t want to be around me. I make her uncomfortable. I…I don’t want to…” His voice trailed off as he bit his lip, trying unsuccessfully to hide his sorrow.

Putting her hand on his arm, B’Elanna drew him down. “You don’t have to look at her and she doesn’t have to acknowledge you. But don’t go, not yet anyway. Okay?”

Chakotay sighed, then nodded, trying to smile. “Okay.”

Across the room, Tuvok was having a similar argument with the captain. He had successfully managed to shield the commander from her view until they had found a table and sat down to eat. Once she did see him, she had nearly stood up to leave until he pointed out that doing so would only make plain to all and sundry the deep rift between the command team. For the good of _all_ her crew, he emphasized, she had to remain. 

Janeway had acknowledged his argument and eaten her dinner, not referring again to Chakotay’s presence until he stood up the second time. Since she was facing him, she had seen him turn around and knew the instant he’d seen her. Her heart had tightened at the stricken look on his face but she had resolutely forced herself to ignore it. However, she did want to leave and the sooner, the better.

“Tuvok, I think I’ve put in enough of an appearance for the crew. I’d like to go now.” 

As he could see no logical reason for making her stay any longer, he agreed, asking only that she wait until he had finished so that he might accompany her. She consented reluctantly and settled back in her seat.

From across the room, Tom could see that the captain was getting restless and knew they better set the next part of the plan in motion. He got up, explaining that he wanted to try dessert, and worked his way over to the counter.

“Neelix,” he called casually. “What’s for dessert?”

The Talaxian scurried out from the kitchen, where he’d been assembling a number of snacks for the party.

“Is it time?” he whispered eagerly.

“Yeah, Chakotay’s tried to leave twice and I can see the captain’s bouncing in her chair. I think we better get on with it.”

“Right.” He pulled off his apron, then lifted a tray of glasses onto the counter. Picking one up, he tapped on it to get everyone’s attention.

“Ladies and gentlemen!” he began in a loud voice, as the room quieted. “Seeing so many faces here tonight has made me think about what a wonderful group of people we are. Each of us brings something special and unique to our family, something that enriches everyone else on the ship. Therefore, I would like to propose a toast. To each and every one of us, who together make up Voyager’s family. Now, I’ve taken the liberty of replicating champagne for the occasion. So please, come forward and get a glass so that you may join in my toast.”

Everyone glanced around at each other, before the captain stepped forward with Tuvok. She picked up a glass, smiling graciously as she pronounced, “Very nice, Mr. Neelix.”

The crew followed her lead, Chakotay and B’Elanna near the end of the line. Tom lagged behind, quietly instructing the computer to begin playing the list of songs he and Neelix had found earlier. He also remembered the doctor and quickly paged him. 

Time for stage three.

As the first lively tune began, Tom called out cheerfully. “Hey, everyone, let’s move the tables so we can dance.”

Enthusiastic hands joined his and in no time, a good-sized space had been cleared in the middle of the room. Immediately several couples found their way onto the floor as Neelix brought out his trays of snacks and Tuvok was deputized to make sure that everyone had a full glass. 

Word spread at warp speed – “there’s a party tonight in the mess hall!” – and very quickly, the room began to fill up as more and more of the off-duty crew arrived. “A party! Great idea! Just what we need!” was heard from more than one person. Within ten minutes, a happy, laughing crowd was settling in to enjoy themselves for the evening.

Neelix trotted about offering food to all and sundry, while Tuvok nobly stayed at his post, dutifully pouring out champagne for everyone. The dance floor grew crowded and the noise level rose exponentially. The doctor arrived with Seven in tow, explaining in his usual pedantic fashion that this promised to be a very special occasion – if she paid attention, he rather thought she would learn an important lesson in human interaction.

Wondering if she could escape, Kathryn looked around. However, Tom, who had been keeping an eye on her, came up to claim her for a dance. She knew she couldn’t refuse and in truth, a part of her wanted to stay. She very much enjoyed seeing her crew happy and relaxed. It made her feel a little better about stranding them all so far from home.

Tom was saying something as he spun her around the room, but in the din, she couldn’t make out his words and shook her head, smiling.

He bent close to her ear. “I want you to do something for us tonight, Captain. I want you to listen to the words of the next song. Will you do that?”

Her smile faded as she stared at him suspiciously. “Why?”

He gave her his best smile. “For the good of your crew.”

She sighed. She’d been hearing a lot of that lately.

His grasp on her hand tightened, his face suddenly earnest. “I mean it, Captain. Please, will you do this – and one more thing?”

“What?”

He took a deep breath. “Dance with Chakotay.”

“Tom!” She stiffened and tried to pull away, just as he maneuvered her close to where Chakotay was dancing with B’Elanna. At the same time, he called out. “Computer! Play ‘My One True Friend.’”

As the first chords of a piano sounded, he stopped, placed Kathryn’s hand in Chakotay’s, then stepped back with B’Elanna. “Please!” he reiterated. “Just listen to the words and let yourselves remember.”

Stunned by the unexpected turn of events, Chakotay stood motionless. With Kathryn’s hand in his, he gazed down at her in shock. 

Tightening her mouth in annoyance, she glanced around quickly – yes, everyone was watching, she couldn’t walk out now. Shaking her head resignedly, she gave in to the inevitable and placed her left hand on his shoulder. “Commander, would you care to dance?”

The sound of her voice brought him back to his surroundings and he started to lead her slowly around the floor. As they moved, a hush fell over the room and the lyrics could be heard easily. It was a song about friends, not just any friends, but true friends. About how even when they were separated, they always came back together, how their friendship couldn’t die no matter what happened. 

As Kathryn listened, the words penetrated straight into her soul. This could have been written for them, it described their relationship so perfectly. She began to remember how, despite all their ups and downs, she had always felt such a bond with this man. How it had always seemed that, together, they were invincible. And as she remembered, all her pain and bitter anger seeped away.

Her hand, at first still and lifeless in Chakotay’s, gripped his fingers as her eyes found his. He was staring intently, his entire focus solely on her, everything he felt written on his face for her to see. She stared back, hearing the words, almost feelin _g_ them bind up their friendship and make it whole once more.

By the time the singer came to the last refrain, Kathryn was fighting to control her emotions.

_I have walked and I have prayed  
_ _I could forgive and we could start again_  
_In the end  
_ _You are my one true friend._

Chakotay’s hands clutched her convulsively as he, too, reacted to the song. His head dropped as he whispered to her, his voice hoarse. “Kathryn, please. I’m sorry. For everything.”

Despite her efforts, she couldn’t stop the tears running down her face. She tried to smile, reaching up to caress his cheek, then threw her arms around his shoulders, hugging him tightly, her face buried in his neck. “I’m sorry, too,” came her muffled voice. 

Chakotay held her tightly against him as if he would never let her go. His heart was soaring with joy, so much that he couldn’t speak. Feeling a hand on his arm, he looked up to see B’Elanna and Tom, their faces wearing identical grins. He nodded happily. 

They would be all right now.

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted Dec. 5, 2001 - MaryS


End file.
